Open Arms

It's really easy for me to be judgmental. When I try not to be judgmental, I find myself judging others for being so judgmental. Then it leaves me just where I started.

However, God has been teaching me to just accept people as they are. He wants me to let go of the first impressions I have of them - whether I think they're crazy, weird, or friendly. He wants me to accept each person as they are. He wants me to love them. Trying not to judge people merely to not judge is extremely hard; however, when you begin to love others, that's when you stop judging people.

I used to wonder - how do people love strangers, people they just met? Jesus did it all the time. He genuinely loved people he just met on the street everyday. If it was that often, was it really genuine? I believe it was. But how did He do it? Jesus knew who he was - God's son and He knew God's heart. He knew how much God loved Him and he knew how much God loved His people. To be able to love, you must first be loved. Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross for my sins. As I am getting older, I am realizing how much more sinful I actually am than I thought I was. There are so many flaws in me, yet Jesus chose to die on the cross for me. What kind of love is that? Now that I know I have been loved by God, He is calling me to do the same - to love others as he loved me. That's the second greatest commandment. In words, it seems so simple. Yet in reality, it takes everything in me to love other people as I have been loved. Sometimes it takes everything in me to be selfless, to obey my parents, to start a conversation with someone, etc. It is so hard, yet worth it all. Jesus experienced excruciating pain while dying for us in the cross. If love was his motivation, it must be worth more than all the pain he went through. Right? Going back to the original question - how do people love strangers? Well, most people don't. I usually don't either, but it's still an ongoing-learning process! However when people from Chicago came to visit our Washington ministry, I learned so much by simply being with them and observing others around me. We never met these people before, but the missionaries came together and cooked a whole meal for 20+ people. Who does that? Truthfully it was really awkward in the beginning, but I learned to love them. Though they were pretty crazy, I loved the time I got to spend with them. I was able to go to DC with them the next day and I actually really liked visiting the art museums I have never been to before. Being with them also taught me how amazing it is to be part of God's family. We are really one under Christ though we are different nationalities, live in different places, have different interests, and etc.

Therefore, because Christians have been deeply loved by Christ, they are able to love strangers.